Despite the inclusion of composition in music curricula in the UK, USA, Canada and Australia, understanding the role of creativity in composing in schools remains a fragmented and dif cult issue. This paper sets out to draw upon an international understanding of how individual students from varied backgrounds encounter composition. The writers attempt to analyse the role creativity plays as students compose by re-examining students' individual engagement and re ection on composition. Based upon comparative analysis of students' composing activities and re ective talk, a series of models which re ect students' varying composing pathways will be presented. The purpose of such research is to develop teaching strategies that could foster creativity when composing. Metaphors for Conditions of CreativityCreative pathways, whether imposed or self-determined are channelled, limited and governed by constraints. Stravinsky (1947) made clear the role of 'constraints' as an essential aspect of his composing when he said 'my freedom consists in my moving about within the narrow frame that I have designed myself … the more constraints one imposes, the more one frees one's self of the chains that shackle the spirit' (p. 68). To convey the notion of absolute pre-determinism, we could use the metaphor of a tightrope walker as a continuum of possibilities being anchored to each 'momentary' act of creation. As a metaphor for 'freedom', we might think of a bungee jumper making a leap of faith, a ight of imagination or free-fall release of possibilities. Whilst these metaphors may help elucidate ideas about how constraints and freedom have signi cant in uence on creativity, there remain differing views on whether to place more emphasis on one than another, and what their impact on creativity might be.

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Music educators are particularly keen to offer learning opportunities that enhance creativity. How this happens remains something of a mystery. Within an international context, this article reports on a study that used a cross-cultural perspective on creative thinking with a particular focus on examining the link between problem-solving and composing. The study compares the individual composing pathways of a sample of students drawn from a range of data sets that tracked students’ thinking as they composed, in terms of the ways in which problems were perceived, framed and solved. Several common themes were identified across students’ musical backgrounds, age and cultures from Australia, Canada and the UK. One such theme with educational implications was that perceiving a compositional problem and seeking solutions utilize different types of thinking.

The purpose of the study was to explore thought processes and strategies of three 8-, three 11-, and three 14-year-old students that occurred while composing with technology. In this descriptive study, the following data were analyzed: (1) students' thoughts, responses, and behaviours that occurred during three composing sessions; (2) students' verbal responses to questions, given after each composing session, about their composing activities; and (3) students' verbal responses to questions, given before and after all composing sessions, about composing in general. The findings from the above three analyses were examined to discern what developmental patterns, if any, emerged across ages. Analysis of data revealed differences within and across ages in terms of composing processes and manipulation of elements. The results show that there may be a continuum of strategies and processes that are utilized while composing. As well, engaging students in metacognitive activities can raise the depth and scope of their awareness, and encourage them to begin to think like a composer.usic programs have been designed to offer significant musical experiences in an j~ attempt to nurture each student's potential to perceive and respond to the expressive qualities of music (Reimer, 1989). These programs involve the students in a variety of music behaviours such as performing, composing, improvising, reading, listening to, and moving to music. Support for experiences in music composition by the music education profession is noted (see MENC, 1994;Moore, 1989;Reimer, 1989;Webster, 1987), and yet our understanding of and encouragement for the development of the student-composer is insufficient. Enriching our knowledge about how students compose could be facilitated by exploring the thought processes and strategies involved as students compose.There is little guidance for music educators-both in the field and in training-about how to devise, structure, and engage students in appropriate compositional activities, and to assess their outcomes in school-based music programs. Observing students compose, and analysing their processes and strategies may provide music educators with needed insights into how students approach composing activities. This information, in turn, might provide guidance for music educators when structuring compositional activities in K to 12 general music programs.In this study I explored students' thought processes and strategies that occurred while they composed with technology. Questions that came to mind as I began to read the literature on how students compose included: How do the students approach composing? Which musical elements capture their attention and in what way? How do they interact with the elements? What are their perceptions of their composing activities? Do those perceptions represent what occurred? What are the students' thoughts about composing in general? Would their thoughts change after having experienced composing activities? From a developmental perspective, what, if any, are the similarit...